9 Most Messed Up Things Spider-Man Has Ever Done

4. Siding With Stark - Civil War

Civil War Spider-Man Captain America
Marvel Comics

The original Civil War comic book arc was designed for each of the two rival sides to have valid points and reasoning for taking their respective stances. Despite that intention, though, it was Tony Stark and his allies who came out of Civil War looking like jackasses.

Of course, one of the many who were by the side of Stark once those battle lines were drawn, was Spider-Man.

To some extent, Peter Parker served as the 'in' for readers in this tale, with Peter having to weigh up the pros and cons of whether to align himself with Tony Stark or with Steve Rogers. Won over by Tony's charm and the benefits of having Iron Man's advanced technology to play with, Spidey wouldn't just side with ol' shell-head, but he'd go even further and allow himself to be cajoled into a public unmasking that served no purpose apart from being a propaganda tool for Stark's crusade.

Seeing Spider-Man opting to fight the good fight alongside Iron Man in Civil War made readers' skin crawl from panel to panel, with us all being aware of just how stupid an idea this would end up being - made even more stupid once that unmasking happened.

Spidey would partially redeem himself by changing his allegiance to Captain America shortly after the unmasking, although Peter would be nearly beaten to death by perennial C-listers Jack O'Lantern and the Jester before he was able to link up with Cap's troops.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer and Presenter, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund and Eli Roth to Kevin Smith and the Russo Brothers, to Kevin Conroy and Frank Miller, to Bret Hart and Sting, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, and Brian Flynn, to many, many more. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.